Improvement in magazine-guns



" .T.-0T. BENNETT. I Magazine-Gun.

No. 209,748. Patented Nov.12,1878.

li'iizesses: 1210072102 ",gzmwm/z W ifPgTERS, PNDTO-LITMOBRAPHER. WASHINGTON. D C- UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIoE.

THOMAS G. BENNETT, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

IMPROVEME NT' IN MAGAZINE-GUNS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 209,748, dated November 12, 1878; application filed August 2, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS Gr. BENNETT, of New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, haveinvented certain Improvements in Magazine-Guns, of which the following is a specification:

My invention relates to the magazine-gun patented to W. R. Evans September 19,1871; and the invention consists of an opening made in the receiver, and a spring-cover appliedthereto, in such a manner that cartridges can be inserted in the magazine at that point, thereby enabling the gun to be used as a sin-v gle loader or as a magazine-gun at will, and by which means, also, the magazine can be charged without operating the breech-block and its lever, all as hereinafter more fully set forth.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of the arm, showing the opening closed; and Fig. 2 is a similar view, showing it open. Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section on the line a: m of Fig. 1.

' This arm, as constructed, is provided with a rotating cylinder, D, having longitudinal grooves in its sides, in which the cartridges are placed through an opening in the buttplate of the stock, the cylinder being moved one=quarter around by a pawl connected with the breech-block at each opening of the breech, which is effected by the guard-lever L, the rotation of the cylinder D causing the cartridges to advance by pressing their rear ends against a spiral flange, 0, arranged rigidly within the magazine-chamber, and surrounding the cylinder D, as shown in Fig. 3. From this construction it results that the magazine can be charged with cartridges only byinserting them one at a time through the opening in the buttplate, and at each insertion operating the lever L to impart a rotary motion to the cylinder D for the purpose of feeding the cartridges forward out of the way, and thus permit the insertion of another, and so on until the magazine is filled. It also follows, from this construction, that the cartridges can be got into the chamber of the barrel only by moving the entire mass of cartridges in the magazine, and that, consequently, there is no means of re- .serving the cartridges in the magazine and using the gun as a single-loader in the meantime.

The object of my invention is to overcome both these difiiculties, and to so construct the arm as to enable it to be used as a singleloader and reserve the cartridges in the magazine for an emergency, if desired, and also to enable the magazine to be charged without operating the breech-block or its lever.

In the accompanying drawing, A represents the frame or receiver of the Evans gun, into which the front end of the cylinder D enters, as shown in Fig. 2, in order to feed the cartridges one at a time to the breech-block, which, as it is closed, forces them forward into the chamber in substantially the same manner as in the well-known Spencer gun. In the upper wall of this receiver, at the left-hand side, 1 cut an elongated opening, E, Fig. 1, of such a size as to permit a cartridge to be inserted through it, where it will rest in the groove of the cylinder D, at the point where it would rest if it had been fed forward by the rotation of the cylinder, and so that at the next movement of the lever in opening the breech this cartridge will be carried around underneath and delivered upon the breechblock in precisely the same manner as though it hadbeen inserted at the rear end of the magazine and been fed forward in the usual way. I

I make a lid or cover, B, of such a size and form as to just fit in the opening E and fasten it to a spring bar or plate, C, which is pivoted at its end to the receiver in such a manner that whc a-yhe lid is swung around opposite the opening'it will'press the lid down in the opening, thereby closing the same and holding the lid in place there being a small projection, a, on the lid, for the purpose of more readily opening the same. As shown in Fig. 3, the inner surface of this lid B is made con cave, so that when closed it will form a con= tinuation of the circular wall of the magazine, and thus serve to hold the cartridges in place as they are fed along past it, the same as though no opening had been made.

By these means, as will be readily seen, a single cartridge can be inserted each time after the gun has been fired, and which, at the subsequent closing of the breech, will be forced into the chamber, where it can be fired in the usual way, and thus the gun can be used as a single-loader when the magazine is exhausted, and'without the expenditure of time required to refill the magazine, which in this gun is considerable, owing to the fact that, as before stated, the lever has to be operated at each insertion of a cartridge when filling the magazine in the usual manner.

If it be desired to reserve the cartridges already in the magazine, it can be done by simply turning the cylinder backward one-quarter of a turn each time that a fresh cartridge is inserted through the opening E, which operation will move the cartridges back the same distance that the opening and closing of the breech will move them forward. So, too, by these means the magazine can be filled entirely through the opening IE, it only being necessary to turn the cylinder D backward each time after inserting a cartridge, this turning of the cylinder being readily effected by pressing against its ribs bymeans of the thumb or any small implement inserted through the opening E, and thus the movements of the breech-block and its lever in filling the ma gazine are entirely obviated.

By the addition of my improvement the efiieiency of the arm is materially increased and the labor of charging the magazine is decreased.

I am aware that magazine-guns have been made with openings in their receivers for the insertion of the cartridges, and therefore I do not claim such broadly or irrespective of the special construction or arrangement of parts; but, i 7

Having fully described my invention, what I claim is- 1. The opening E in the receiver A, located in relation to the rotating cylinder D and the breech of the chamber, as shown and described, whereby cartridges can be inserted through said opening and be carried into the chamber by closing the breech, or can be fed back into the magazine, as preferred, substantially as set forth.

2. In combination with the receiver A, provided with the opening E, the lid B, secured to the receiver by the pivoted spring-arm 0, all arranged to operate substantially as shown and described.

THOMAS Gr. BENNETT.

WVitnesses:

DANIEL H. VEADER, JOSEPH J. SWEENEY. 

